Ashes and Wine
by mendelevium101
Summary: Twilight AU. Bella has been raised in Forks. She's accepted the fact that nothing interesting will ever happen in her rainy hometown. Until one day something interesting does happen. A new family moves to town, and it sets off a chain of events that will change everything. Old relationships will be broken, new ones will be formed, and Bella's boring life will never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

Growing up in a town where nothing ever happens means that when something does happen it's the biggest thing in the world. Especially when your Nothing Ever Happens town is Forks. When my mom tried to leave with me as a child somehow the entire town knew. And when she returned with me barely a week later, again it was the talk of the town. But being the daughter of the Chief of Police would never let me be able to fade into the kind of obscurity I would come to wish for.

My sophomore year of high school had barely started when our dreary little town hit the jackpot of small town gossip. The city's hospital had acquired a new doctor for their staff, and our town had acquired seven of the most beautiful people you could imagine. It was like they'd all walked straight off a runway and into our town. Apparently the most appropriate time to enroll in school was during lunch. Because just as everyone was heading to the cafeteria they were all gracefully gliding towards the front office.

There was no way to miss them, even if they hadn't been so beautiful. Their clothes alone probably costed more than our house. And the cars were even more expensive looking. I could hear a few of the guys chattering excitedly about the cars, but the two black cars weren't what had my attention. The driver of one of the cars looked like he was chuckling, and for some reason it hit every one of the wrong nerves in my body. At that moment the only thing stopping me from walking up and smacking the arrogant look off his face was my general lack of coordination and physical ability.

"Bella?" It sounded like my name had been called from under water, but when I turned towards the direction of the voice I was surprised to see Angela standing right beside me. "Bella? Are you okay?"

I turned my head back to glare one last time but they were all inside. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go get some food."

Walking into the cafeteria was like walking into a news conference. Everyone had questions, and everyone thought they needed to shout over each other in order to get their answers. As Angela and I took our places in line I sighed. Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory were right in front of us.

"Did you see how yummy the brothers looked though?" Lauren asked loudly.

Jessica snorted out a short laugh. "You'd either have to be blind, gay, or Isabella Swan to not notice. I mean seriously did you see her standing there glaring at them all?"

"Of course Miss Swan has a problem with them. They're all perfect and she's a plain little prude."

If their was an award for being "The Most Cliched Mean Girls" Jessica and Lauren were world record holders. I'd tried once upon a time to befriend them, but being the quiet girl who likes to read doesn't really earn you that many friends in junior high.

I could feel Angela getting upset beside me. She was probably the sweetest person I'd ever met. She hated it when people were needlessly cruel, especially to me. And as much as I wanted to interrupt their conversation, I wanted to hear if they said anything worth knowing. But they didn't. They prattled on about how attractive the three guys were. They hoped they'd get noticed, and I knew that it would never happen. Guys like that were never interested in high school girls.

The lunchroom had nearly gotten back to it's mostly tolerable level of volume when the five siblings walked in. At first everything was eerily silent, and then it erupted into conversation. Everyone started talking about anything and everything to fill the silence. I couldn't take it anymore.

I turned to Angela. "It's too loud in here. I'm going to go ahead and go to class." She nodded in confirmation as I picked up the tray of food I hadn't really bothered to eat.

As I walked to the garbage can I noticed Jessica and Lauren glaring at me. I started walking a little faster so that I could get out of there. I didn't want deal with mean girls and snobby transfers any more than necessary. I quickly threw my lunch away and tried to make a silent exit.

But three things seemed to happen at once as I walked away from the trash can. I felt a slickness under my foot. My foot flew out from under me and I started to fall. There was something cold against my back that wasn't the floor like I'd expected it to be.

I looked up and standing behind me was a very tiny, very breakable looking girl with short spiky hair. "Thank you." I mumbled as I tried to up right myself.

"It was no problem." She said with a smile. Her voice was like music.

I wanted to say something else to her just to hear her speak again. It took me a few seconds too long to say something, but she waited smiling and patient as I tried to find my voice. "I'm Bella. I'm clumsy."

She laughed and I was instantly reminded of windchimes. "Nice to meet you, 'Bella I'm Clumsy'." She held out her hand but I was too enveloped in the sound of her voice to register it. "I'm Alice. I also happen to be very not clumsy. Maybe we should stick together to balance each other out."

When she realized I wasn't going to take her hand she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and began leading me to the exit of the cafeteria. We were almost there when one of her siblings called out to her.

"Alice, where are you going?" The words sounded more like an accusation than a question and I recognized him as the guy from earlier who'd been chuckling. His bronze colored hair and pale face were easy to recognize.

Alice stopped and turned to stare at her brother, even though they looked nothing alike, there was something about them that screamed "related", so I stopped and turned with her. "Edward, I'm walking my new friend to class. We share the next class together and I wanted to be able to make sure I was accurately situated."

They kept their eyes fixed on one another for a short moment before Edward glanced at me. I felt a chill run down my spine as his gaze went from slightly annoyed to a mixture of confusion and revulsion. I glared back at him. I wasn't going to let some guy that didn't even know me try to intimidate me. I was about to tell him to back off when Alice whirled around and began to lead me out the door once again.

When the door opened I felt a breeze blow my hair out behind me, and I could have sworn I heard a hiss.


	2. Chapter 2

It turned out that Alice was right, we did have the next class together. I wasn't sure how she knew that and I didn't bother asking. The rest of the afternoon went by in a strange blur.

Alice whispered to me constantly during class. She'd somehow figured out the perfect volume to speak to me in without the teacher over hearing her. Knowing that I could never manage a decent whisper I answered everything on a piece of paper I'd sat between us.

She told me about how happy she was to have moved to Forks. How they'd been living in Alaska before they moved. She said she liked Forks better already because she had a friend, and I assumed that she was talking about me. I asked her a few questions when I could, and she was very open with her answers. She told me about her siblings and how I should probably just ignore them because they didn't have her sense of humor, or good fashion.

I tried to pay attention to Alice as she chattered excitedly, but eventually I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched, or that our conversation was being listened to. By the end of our class together I was ready to go home.

Going home wasn't an option though, especially on a Wednesday. As I walked outside to the parking lot with everyone else I saw them, three of my favorite people in the world. Sam, Leah, and Jacob had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember, along with pretty much everyone else down at La Push. My dad and Jacob's dad, Billy, have been best friends since before any of us were born. Sam and Leah were a few years older than the rest of us, but it didn't matter. They were like the mom and dad friend of our big little family. And every Wednesday it never failed that they would pick me up after school for family movie night. It was tradition.

Each week it was girls versus guys. One week the girls would choose a movie and the guys would pick out snacks, the next week it'd change. The rules were simple: You couldn't complain about the choice of movie, you couldn't choose the same movie every turn, and you had to have fun. And we always did. Even me.

Which was why my silent approach to the car had them all looking a little worried. Jake was the first to ask, "Bells, you alright?"

I nodded and then shrugged. "I don't know. I've had a strange afternoon. Everything would have been fine if I hadn't run into that new transfer kid from Alaska or whatever."

Sam and Leah gave each other a look that I didn't quite understand until Leah started grinning. "So what's his name?"

I shook my head, "Oh no, it's not even close to anything like that. The guy seemed kind of off. His sister seems really nice, but he seems like he's got some issues. I'm pretty sure he ditched after lunch too. Which is weird because they just transferred today and then he was barely here for five minutes before leaving?" I rolled my eyes and I could tell that the more I tried to explain how much of a weirdo I thought Edward was it was only convincing Leah of how much I liked him. Which was completely preposterous.

I looked at all three of them and sighed loudly. "There's no way I'm going to convince you I don't like this guy. Is there?"

Jake laughed while Leah shook her head. Sam just smiled at them fondly and then told us all to get into the car. The ride to La Push never seemed to take too long, I'd been riding down the same road almost all my life. Leah and Sam stopped goofing on me as we'd gotten closer to Paul's. It was his week to host, and since his dad worked in the evenings it was usually the best place for our movie nights.

I'd thought the trip had made Sam and Leah forget all about aggravating me, but I was wrong. As soon as we walked inside and everyone had been greeted Leah informed them all of my "boyfriend".

I crossed my arms, rolled my eyes, and pursed my lips for a moment. "Definitely not my boyfriend, Leah. I don't even know the guy. And from his attitude earlier I don't think I'd want to get to know him."

Leah laughed. "Well Paul is a jerk too, but remember how you had a crush on him a few years ago?"

I felt the blood rush to my face, and I saw Paul look up at me confused. "That's different okay. I'm use to Paul being a jerk. And yes, I had a little crush on him." I explained with a shrug. "But I mean we grew up together, it happens."

Jake chuckled behind me. "I never knew you had so many feet Bella. Just keep talking, I'm sure there are more you can fit in your mouth."

At that moment Embry walked up behind Jake and got him in a headlock.

And with that the conversation was over. I walked quietly to the couch and picked out a spot for the movie. Everyone else laughed quietly as they finished preparing the snacks and drinks. Paul was the first one out of the kitchen and he sat down next to me. Quil managed to beat Jake to the seat on my other side, so Embry Jake and Quil sat on the floor in front of us. Leah and Sam cozied up on the loveseat after Leah picked out a movie.

Me and Leah were the only two left for the girl's nights. Rebecca and Rachel had both graduated that spring. Rachel was in college, and Rebecca had gone off to Hawaii with that guy she married. So Leah and I were all that was left. Two girls surrounded by testosterone and fart jokes.

As the movie trailers on the DVD played I zoned out. All I could think about was the strange new siblings. I'd only met two of them, but they all seemed so vastly different. Not just in personality either. You'd think that they'd look something alike, but they didn't. Not really. The only thing they seemed to have in common was the beautiful pale color of their skin and the sweet golden honey color of their eyes.

And yes, maybe Edward was attractive. Their entire family was attractive. But being good looking didn't give anyone the right to be so snobby towards people, especially strangers. The longer I thought about it the more I was certain I didn't like him.

When the movie finally ended I called my mom to come get me. I didn't like Sam having to drive me around all the time. While I waited for her to show up I helped Paul clean up the snacks and drinks that had been left scattered in around the living room and kitchen.

"So Bella." Paul started after a few minutes of awkward silence. "How come you never told me you had a crush on me?"

I put the cups in the sink and avoided eye contact with him. "I didn't actually have a crush on you. Leah and the girls kept asking me if I was interested in anyone. I wasn't, not really. So I just said the first name that popped into my head."

He looked disappointed. "Oh. Well that's cool. I guess."

The silence seemed to last forever before he spoke again. "So have you ever had a crush on any of the guys then?"

I laughed uncomfortably. "No, Paul." I thought about the question for a moment and considered my explanation carefully. "I've never really had crushes. I don't think I've ever really been interested in that kind of stuff. I like reading about them, or watching them in movies, but I've never pictured myself as the kind of person to fall into some guy's arms and swoon. It's not me."

Paul mistook my laughter for genuine amusement and joined in. Even if he had it wrong I was glad to see him in a good mood. Most of the time he was all temper.

He was about to say something when I heard my mom's car in the driveway and a couple of quick honks. I smiled and waved at him before heading out the door.

Mom had a million questions when I got in the car. She always had a million questions.

"How was your day?"

I shrugged. "It was today. I don't know. We got a group of transfer students, but other than that it was uneventful."

Mom nodded her head. "I heard about that. Your dad said that the new doctor had kids about your age. Were they nice? Were you nice? I know it must be hard transferring to a new school in the middle of your high school career."

"I met one of the sisters. She seems a bit odd, but she's really nice. She actually saved me from falling in the lunchroom." I explained.

"Let me guess, you slipped again?" Mom chuckled a little and I knew she was trying to picture what happened.

I sighed. "Yes, I slipped. Someone spilled some water or something by the trashcan and I would have probably gotten hurt if it hadn't been for Alice."

"Oh! Well she sounds kind. Did you meet any of the other kids?"

I felt my shoulders tense up. "Kind of. One of her brothers came up to us as we were walking out of the lunchroom. He was kind of intense."

"Intense? What exactly do you mean by that?" Her voice sounded slightly concerned, but I couldn't look at her.

"I don't know. Maybe he was just having a bad day or something. Maybe my first impression of him is all wrong."

"Isabella Swan, you better tell me right now if this guy did something to you. I will go up to the school tomorrow and handle it if I have to." She said in full Mom Mode.

"Mom no. Nothing happened. Not really. Like I said, maybe the guy was just having an off day. Please don't go to the school. I can handle this."

"Fine. But you let me know if I need to come up there."

I let out a deep breath. "Only if you don't tell dad. The last thing I need is for him to go all 'Police Chief Swan'."

My mom stayed silent for a minute. "Deal."

The last few minutes of our drive home almost felt like torture. The only sounds were the sloshing of rain and the squeaking of windshield wipers. I was glad when the car finally stopped and I could retreat to my room. I never ate dinner at home on movie nights and I was glad I wouldn't have to suffer through the same round of questions with my dad. He greeted us as we walked in and then turned his attention back to the news.

I walked upstairs to my room and quickly got ready for bed. I could feel myself drifting off almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. A small chill passed through me right before I fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

As I slept that night I had the strangest dream. It was dark, and I could just make out the shape of someone's pale hands holding a blanket. The blanket was the most intricately put together piece of fabric I'd ever seen. The yarn was full of different brown and green colors. And as I stood there admiring it the hands holding it began to move. They pulled on one of the paler colored strings, and suddenly the blanket was just a pile of yarn. All of the intricacy, all of the beauty, it just sat there on the floor.

When I woke up it felt like I'd barely slept at all. The sound of thunder echoed over the house and added an almost ominous final note to the dream. Part of me wanted to crawl back into bed and try to get some more sleep, but the other part of me knew that there was no way I could do that. If I tried to stay home my mom would get suspicious, and I couldn't handle that. I ended up laying in my bed listening to the sounds of the rain and my parents trying to whisper in the kitchen.

"She's never even driven before, I don't think it's a good idea." Mom said sternly.

There was a pause that I can only assume was my dad sighing. "I think it's a great idea. She'll have to learn eventually. I think the best way to teach her is to just let her dive in head first."

Something clattered on the floor and my mother let out a small yelp. "I guess we'll just have to see what Bella thinks then."

Maybe some conversations weren't worth listening to. I knew what they were talking about and it really wasn't that big of a deal to me. My sixteenth birthday was barely a month away. My dad wanted me to start driving. My mom wasn't as ready for it. Who in their right mind would let someone as clumsy as me behind the wheel of a car? I understood why she had reservations about it, I did too.

I laid there a few more minutes wondering if they would say anything else. When I was sure that they were done talking I got up from my bed and started getting ready for what already looked like a long day. I tried to push the last twenty four hours out of my mind as got in the shower. When I stepped out I felt a bit refreshed, but I still didn't want to face the day.

I quickly got dressed and ready for school. I sat on my bed reading and glancing at the clock until I had no choice but to go downstairs. When I finally walked into the kitchen my dad had already left for work and mom was cleaning up her breakfast mess. She didn't have to be at the school as early as I did because the kindergarten classes didn't start until around nine in the morning.

"Morning Bella, you're running kind of late this morning."

I picked up a piece of toast off the plate she'd set on the table and shrugged. "I wouldn't be that late if I could drive myself to school."

"You also wouldn't be late if you'd started getting ready on time and caught a ride with your dad."

I bit off a piece of the almost burnt toast and chewed it slowly. She handed me a glass of orange juice, and I happily took it. The orange juice made the toast go down a little easier. "Mom, I want to get my license. I hate that you, Dad, and Sam are always having to drive me around. It'd be easier for everyone if I got a license and car."

Mom picked up the toast plate and then set it back down. I could tell that she was flustered by the idea of me behind the wheel of car. She picked the plate back up, dumped the last piece of toast in the garbage and put the plate in the sink.

"If you wanted more you should've gotten ready on time." she said in quiet voice.

"The toast was fine. But mom seriously, what do I have to do to convince you that me getting a license is a good thing?"

She sighed. "You don't have to convince me of anything. I know it's a good thing. I just worry about you behind the wheel of some tiny car getting into an accident. The roads get wet, and icy all the time. Some days you can barely walk down the driveway without falling."

"Okay, if my safety is the issue then you and Dad can pick out the car. I'll try to find a job somewhere after school so I can save up for it. Then when I have enough money, and driving experience, we'll get the car."

Mom pursed her lips as she thought about what I'd said. There wasn't really a downside and I didn't know why she hadn't thought of it first. The only small catch was that for me to get enough driving experience she was going to have to actually start letting me drive.

Mom nodded her head slowly. "I'll run it by your father later on today. Right now we both need to get going since I'm going to have to drive you to school."

She looked at the clock and her eyes got big. I hadn't really realized how late it had gotten either. Mom practically flew out of the kitchen to gather her things so we could leave. I thought about grabbing her keys and trying to get her to let me drive us to the school, but I knew I wouldn't be able get her to cave on anything else.

We got to the school in just enough time for me to make it to my first class. When I walked into the room I instantly knew it was going to be a long day. Sitting in the seat next to mine was Alice, and sitting in my seat was Jessica. It looked like Jessica and a few other people were asking Alice a bunch questions, and Alice looked like she was bored with every single one of them. The only bit of life I saw in Alice's face was when she saw me walk into the classroom.

As I walked over to my seat everyone seemed to disperse. Jessica was the only one who made no attempt to leave. "You're in my seat." I informed her quietly.

She smirked at me. "Well I don't see your name on it. Besides I'm having a conversation with my new friend Ali."

"No you weren't." Alice said not trying to hide her annoyance. "In fact I was actively ignoring you since I've told you five times that I don't want to be called Ali. My name is Alice. Now if you don't mind I'd like my actual friend to sit next to me."

Jessica's smirk fell as she sat in a stunned silence. It took her a minute to get her things together and leave, as soon as she was gone I couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think I have ever seen anything that great unless it was scripted."

Alice just smiled at me. The bell rang as if cued by her silence and the teacher greeted the class. Maybe it wouldn't be such a long day after all.


End file.
